AcehAceh (/ˈɑːtʃeɪ/); (Acehnese: Acèh ([ʔaˈtɕɛh]); Jawi:
اچيه‬; Dutch: Atjeh or Aceh) is a province of Indonesia. The
territory is located at the northern end of Sumatra. Its capital is
Banda Aceh. It is close to the
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsAndaman and Nicobar Islands of India
and separated from them by the Andaman Sea. Its population has the
highest percentage of Muslims in Indonesia, who mostly live according
to
ShariaSharia customs and laws.[3]
There are 10 indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest
being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 80% to 90% of
the region's population.
AcehAceh is thought to have been the place where
the spread of
IslamIslam in
IndonesiaIndonesia began, and was a key factor of the
spread of
IslamIslam in Southeast Asia.
IslamIslam reached
AcehAceh (Kingdoms of
Fansur and Lamuri) around 1250 AD. In the early seventeenth century
the
Sultanate of AcehSultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated
state in the
Malacca StraitsMalacca Straits region.
AcehAceh has a history of political
independence and resistance to control by outsiders, including the
former Dutch colonists and the Indonesian government.
AcehAceh has substantial natural resources of oil and natural gas with
some estimates that
AcehAceh gas reserves are one of the largest in the
world. Relative to most of Indonesia, it is a religiously conservative
area.[4]
AcehAceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which devastated much of the
western coast of the province. Approximately 170,000 Indonesians were
killed or went missing in the disaster.[5] The disaster helped
precipitate the peace agreement between the government of Indonesia
and the
Free Aceh MovementFree Aceh Movement (GAM).
AcehAceh was first known as
AcehAceh Darussalam (1511–1959) and then later
as the Daerah Istimewa
AcehAceh (1959–2001), Nanggroë
AcehAceh Darussalam
(2001–2009) and
AcehAceh (2009–present). Past spellings of Aceh
include Acheh, Atjeh, and Achin.

According to several archaeological findings, the first evidence of
human habitation in
AcehAceh is from a site near the Tamiang River where
shell middens are present. Stone tools and faunal remains were also
found on the site. Archeologists believe the site was first occupied
around 10,000 BC.[6]
Pre-Islamic Aceh[edit]

Not much has been uncovered about the pre-Islamic history of Aceh,
however there are several artifacts that linked pre-Islamic era with
BuddhismBuddhism and Dharmic culture, possibly came from
SrivijayaSrivijaya or
Indochina region, as well as pre-Islamic Old Malay custom. For
example, the discovery of severed head of stone sculpture of
AvalokiteshvaraAvalokiteshvara Boddhisattva, discovered in Aceh. The images of
AmitabhaAmitabha Buddhas are adorned his crown; in front and each sides.
Srivijayan art estimated 9th century CE. Collection of National Museum
of Indonesia, Jakarta.
Historic names such as Indrapurba, Indrapurwa, Indrapatra, and
Indrapuri, which refer to Hindu god Indra, gave some hint of Indian
influence on this region. However, unlike
JambiJambi and South Sumatra,
there are no significant archaeological sites and findings such as
temples, that link this region with Hindu-Buddhist culture.
Beginnings of
IslamIslam in Southeast Asia[edit]
See also: Spread of
IslamIslam in Indonesia

Map of Pasai, the first Islamic kingdom in South East Asia

Evidence concerning the initial coming and subsequent establishment of
IslamIslam in Southeast Asia is thin and inconclusive . The historian
Anthony Reid has argued that the region of the Cham people on the
south-central coast of Vietnam was one of the earliest Islamic centers
in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, as the Cham people fled the
Vietnamese, one of the earliest locations that they established a
relationship with was Aceh.[7] Furthermore, it is thought that one of
the earliest centers of
IslamIslam was in the
AcehAceh region. When Venetian
traveller
Marco PoloMarco Polo passed by
SumatraSumatra on his way home from China in
1292 he found that Peureulak was a Muslim town while nearby 'Basma(n)'
and 'Samara' were not. 'Basma(n)' and 'Samara' are often said to be
PasaiPasai and Samudra but evidence is inconclusive. The gravestone of
Sultan Malik as-Salih, the first Muslim ruler of Samudra, has been
found and is dated AH 696 (AD 1297). This is the earliest clear
evidence of a Muslim dynasty in the Indonesia-Malay area and more
gravestones from the thirteenth century show that this region
continued under Muslim rule. Ibn Batutah, a Moroccan traveller,
passing through on his way to China in 1345 and 1346, found that the
ruler of Samudra was a follower of the
Shafi'iShafi'i school of Islam.[8]
The Portuguese apothecary
Tome Pires reported in his early
16th-century book Suma Oriental that most of the kings of
SumatraSumatra from
AcehAceh through
PalembangPalembang were Muslim. At Pasai, in what is now the North
AcehAceh Regency, there was a thriving international port. Pires
attributed the establishment of
IslamIslam in
PasaiPasai to the 'cunning' of the
Muslim merchants. The ruler of Pasai, however, had not been able to
convert the people of the interior.[9]
Sultanate of Aceh[edit]
Main article:
AcehAceh Sultanate
The
Sultanate of AcehSultanate of Aceh was established by Sultan
Ali Mughayat SyahAli Mughayat Syah in
1511.
In 1584–88 the Bishop of Malacca, D. João Ribeiro Gaio, based on
information provided by a former captive called Diogo Gil, wrote the
"Roteiro das Cousas do Achem" (Lisboa 1997) – a description of the
Sultanate.
Later, during its golden era, in the 17th century, its territory and
political influence expanded as far as
SatunSatun in southern Thailand,
JohorJohor in Malay Peninsula, and Siak in what is today the province of
Riau. As was the case with most non-Javan pre-colonial states,
Acehnese power expanded outward by sea rather than inland. As it
expanded down the Sumatran coast, its main competitors were
JohorJohor and
Portuguese MalaccaPortuguese Malacca on the other side of the Straits of Malacca. It was
this seaborne trade focus that saw
AcehAceh rely on rice imports from
north
JavaJava rather than develop self sufficiency in rice
production.[10]

After the Portuguese occupation of
MalaccaMalacca in 1511, many Islamic
traders passing the
Malacca StraitsMalacca Straits shifted their trade to Banda Aceh
and increased the Acehnese rulers' wealth. During the reign of Sultan
Iskandar Muda in the 17th century, Aceh's influence extended to most
of
SumatraSumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
AcehAceh allied itself with the
Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire and the Dutch East
IndiaIndia Company in their struggle
against the Portuguese and the
JohorJohor Sultanate. Acehnese military
power waned gradually thereafter, and
AcehAceh ceded its territory of
PariamanPariaman in
SumatraSumatra to the Dutch in the 18th century.[11]
By the early nineteenth century, however,
AcehAceh had become an
increasingly influential power due to its strategic location for
controlling regional trade. In the 1820s it was the producer of over
half the world's supply of black pepper. The pepper trade produced new
wealth for the Sultanate and for the rulers of many smaller nearby
ports that had been under Aceh's control, but were now able to assert
more independence. These changes initially threatened Aceh's
integrity, but a new sultan Tuanku Ibrahim, who controlled the kingdom
from 1838 to 1870, reasserted power over nearby ports.[12]
Under the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 the British ceded their colonial
possessions on
SumatraSumatra to the Dutch. In the treaty, the British
described
AcehAceh as one of their possessions, although they had no
actual control over the Sultanate. Initially, under the agreement the
Dutch agreed to respect Aceh's independence. In 1871, however, the
British dropped previous opposition to a Dutch invasion of Aceh,
possibly to prevent
FranceFrance or the United States from gaining a
foothold in the region. Although neither the Dutch nor the British
knew the specifics, there had been rumors since the 1850s that Aceh
had been in communication with the rulers of
FranceFrance and of the Ottoman
Empire.[12]
AcehAceh War[edit]
Main article:
AcehAceh War

General Köhler, commandant of Dutch troops, died from a shot by an
Acehnese sniper during the first attack on Aceh

Pirates operating from
AcehAceh threatened commerce in the Strait of
Malacca; the sultan was unable to control them. Britain was a
protector of
AcehAceh and gave the
NetherlandsNetherlands permission to eradicate the
pirates. The campaign quickly drove out the sultan but the local
leaders mobilized and fought the Dutch in four decades of guerrilla
war, with high levels of atrocities.[13] The Dutch colonial government
declared war on
AcehAceh on 26 March 1873.
AcehAceh sought American help but
Washington rejected the request.[12]
The Dutch tried one strategy after another over the course of four
decades. An expedition under Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler
in 1873 occupied most of the coastal areas. Köhler's strategy was to
attack and take the Sultan's palace. It failed. The Dutch then tried a
naval blockade, reconciliation, concentration within a line of forts,
and lastly passive containment. They had scant success. Reaching 15 to
20 million guilders a year, the heavy spending for failed strategies
nearly bankrupted the colonial government.[14]
The
AcehAceh army was rapidly modernized, and
AcehAceh soldiers managed to
kill Köhler (a monument to this achievement has been built inside
Grand Mosque of Banda Aceh). Köhler made some grave tactical errors
and the reputation of the Dutch was severely harmed. In recent years
in line with expanding international attention to human rights issues
and atrocities in war zones, there has been increasing discussion
about some of the recorded acts of cruelty and slaughter committed by
Dutch troops during the period of warfare in Aceh.[15]
Hasan Mustafa (1852–1930) was a chief 'penghulu,' or judge, for the
colonial government and was stationed in Aceh. He had to balance
traditional Muslim justice with Dutch law. To stop the
AcehAceh rebellion,
Hasan Mustafa issued a fatwa, telling the Muslims there in 1894, "It
is Incumbent upon the Indonesian Muslims to be loyal to the Dutch East
Indies Government".[16]
Japanese occupation[edit]
During World War II, Japanese troops occupied Aceh. The Acehnese Ulama
(Islamic clerics) fought against both the Dutch and the Japanese,
revolting against the Dutch in February 1942 and against Japan in
November 1942. The revolt was led by the All-
AcehAceh Religious Scholars'
Association (PUSA). The Japanese suffered 18 dead in the uprising
while they slaughtered up to 100 or over 120 Acehnese.[17][18] The
revolt happened in Bayu and was centered around Tjot Plieng village's
religious school.[19][20][21][22] During the revolt, the Japanese
troops armed with mortars and machine guns were charged by sword
wielding Acehnese under Teungku Abduldjalil (Tengku Abdul Djalil) in
Buloh Gampong Teungah and Tjot Plieng on 10 and 13
November.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29] On May 1945 the Acehnese
rebelled again.[30] The religious ulama party gained ascendancy to
replace district warlords (uleebalang) party that formerly
collaborated with the Dutch. Concrete bunkers still line the
northernmost beaches.
Indonesian independence[edit]

After World War II, civil war erupted in 1945 between the district
warlords party, that supported the return of a Dutch government, and
the religious ulama party that supported the newly proclaimed state of
Indonesia. The ulama won, and the area remained free during Indonesian
War of Independence. The Dutch military itself never attempted to
invade Aceh. The civil war raised the religious ulama party leader,
Daud Bereueh, to the position of military governor of Aceh.[31][32]
Acehnese rebellion[edit]

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The Acehnese revolted soon after its inclusion into an independent
Indonesia, a situation created by a complex mix of what the Acehnese
regarded as transgressions against and betrayals of their
rights.[citation needed]
Soekarno, the first president of Indonesia, had reneged on his promise
made on 16 June 1948 that
AcehAceh would be allowed to rule itself in
accordance with its religious values which had been in place for
centuries.
AcehAceh was politically dismantled and incorporated into the
province of North
SumatraSumatra in 1950. This resulted in the Acehnese
Rebellion of 1953–59 which was led by
Daud Beureu'ehDaud Beureu'eh who on 20
September 1953 declared a free independent
AcehAceh under the leadership
of Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo. In 1959, the Indonesian
government attempted to placate the Acehnese by offering wide-ranging
freedom in matters relating to religion, education and
culture.[citation needed]

Governors[edit]
Main article: Governor of Aceh

#
Governor
Took office
Left office
Political party
Vice-governor
Notes

During the 1970s, under an agreement with the Indonesian central
government, American oil and gas companies began exploitation of Aceh
natural resources. Alleged unequal distribution of profits between
central government and the native people of
AcehAceh induced Dr. Hasan
Muhammad di Tiro, former ambassador of Darul Islam,[31] to call for an
independent Aceh. He proclaimed independence in 1976.
The movement had a small number of followers initially, and Dr. Hasan
Muhammad di Tiro himself had to live in exile in Sweden. Meanwhile,
the province followed Suharto's policy of economic development and
industrialization. During the late 1980s several security incidents
prompted the Indonesian central government to take repressive measures
and to send troops to Aceh. Human rights abuse was rampant for the
next decade, resulting in many grievances on the part of the Acehnese
toward the Indonesian central government. In 1990, the Indonesian
government initiated military operations against GAM by deploying more
than 12.000 Indonesian army in the region.[citation needed]
During the late 1990s, chaos in
JavaJava and an ineffective central
government gave an advantage to the
Free Aceh MovementFree Aceh Movement and resulted in
the second phase of the rebellion, this time with large support from
the Acehnese people. This support was demonstrated during the 1999
plebiscite in
Banda AcehBanda Aceh which was attended by nearly half a million
people (of four million population of the province). Indonesian
central government responded in 2001 by broadening Aceh's autonomy,
giving its government the right to apply
ShariaSharia law more broadly and
the right to receive direct foreign investment. This was again
accompanied by repressive measures, however, and in 2003 an offensive
began and a state of emergency was proclaimed in the Province. The war
was still going on when the tsunami disaster of 2004 struck the
province.[citation needed]
Exxon MobilExxon Mobil human rights abuse lawsuit[edit]
Main article: ExxonMobil violations in Indonesia
On 21 June 2001 11 villagers from an Acehnese village in the North
AcehAceh Regency used the
Alien Tort Claims Act to sue
Exxon MobilExxon Mobil in
United States federal courtUnited States federal court for human rights abuses at the Arun
natural gas field. The villagers claim they were tortured, raped, or
murdered by soldiers from the Indonesian military. They claimed that
Exxon MobilExxon Mobil created barracks to be used for torture of detainees and
gave the
Indonesian militaryIndonesian military unit which guarded the Exxon-Mobil
natural gas field heavy equipment to cover mass burials after a clash
with separatists.[33]
Exxon MobilExxon Mobil reportedly shut down the site
because of escalating violence. The villagers need to reveal their
identities in order to receive Indonesian government protection, but
are reluctant to do so for fear of reprisals from the Indonesian
military.
TsunamiTsunami disaster[edit]
Main article:
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

Aftermath of the tsunami in Aceh

The western coastal areas of Aceh, including the cities of Banda Aceh,
Calang, and Meulaboh, were among the areas hardest-hit by the tsunami
resulting from the magnitude 9.2
Indian OceanIndian Ocean earthquake on 26
December 2004.[34] While estimates vary, over 170,000 people were
killed by tsunami in
AcehAceh and about 500,000 were left homeless. The
tragedy of the tsunami was further compounded several months later,
when the 2005 M8.6 Nias–Simeulue earthquake struck the sea bed
between the islands of
Simeulue IslandSimeulue Island in
AcehAceh and
NiasNias in North
Sumatra. This second quake killed a further 1346 people on
NiasNias and
Simeulue, displaced tens of thousands more, and caused the tsunami
response to be expanded to include Nias. the World Health Organisation
estimates a 100% increase in prevalence of mild and moderate mental
disorders in Aceh's general population after the tsunami.[35]
The population of
AcehAceh before the December 2004 tsunami was 4,271,000
(2004). The population as of 15 September 2005 was 4,031,589, and at
January 2014 was 4,731,705.[1]
As of February 2006, more than a year after the tsunami, a large
number of people were still living in barrack-style temporary living
centers (TLC) or tents. Reconstruction was visible everywhere, but due
to the sheer scale of the disaster, and logistic difficulties,
progress was slow. A study in 2007 estimates 83.6% of the population
has psychiatric illness, while 69.8% suffers from severe emotional
distress.[36]
The ramifications of the tsunami went beyond the immediate impact to
the lives and infrastructure of the Acehnese living on the coast.
Since the disaster, the Acehnese rebel movement GAM, which had been
fighting for independence against the Indonesian authorities for 29
years, has signed a peace deal (15 August 2005). The perception that
the tsunami was punishment for insufficient piety in this proudly
Muslim province is partly behind the increased emphasis on the
importance of religion post-tsunami. This has been most obvious in the
increased implementation of
ShariaSharia law, including the introduction of
the controversial 'WH' or Syariah police. As homes are being built and
people's basic needs are met, the people are also looking to improve
the quality of education, increase tourism, and develop responsible,
sustainable industry. Well-qualified educators are in high demand in
Aceh.

Boats washed ashore near local businesses in down town Aceh, Sumatra
following a massive tsunami that struck the area on 26 December 2004

While parts of the capital
Banda AcehBanda Aceh were unscathed, the areas
closest to the water, especially the areas of Kampung Jawa and
Meuraxa, were completely destroyed. Most of the rest of the western
coast of
AcehAceh was severely damaged. Many towns completely disappeared.
Other towns on Aceh's west coast hit by the disaster included Lhoknga,
Leupung, Lamno, Patek, Calang, Teunom, and the island of Simeulu.
Affected or destroyed towns on the region's north & east coast
were Pidie Regency, Samalanga, and Lhokseumawe.
The area was slowly rebuilt after the disaster. The government
initially proposed the creation of a two-kilometer buffer zone along
low-lying coastal areas within which permanent construction was not
permitted. This proposal was unpopular among some local inhabitants
and proved impractical in most situations, especially fishing families
that are dependent on living near to the sea.
The Indonesian government set up a special agency for Aceh
reconstruction, the
Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi (BRR) headed
by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, a former Indonesian Minister. This agency
had ministry level of authority and incorporated officials,
professionals and community leaders from all backgrounds. Most of the
reconstruction work was performed by local people using a mix of
traditional methods and partial prefabricated structures, with funding
coming from many international organizations and individuals,
governments, and the people themselves.
The Government of
IndonesiaIndonesia estimated in their Preliminary Damage and
Losses Assessment[37] that damages amounted to US$4.5 billion (before
inflation, and US$6.2 billion including inflation). Three years after
the tsunami, reconstruction was still ongoing. The World Bank
monitored funding for reconstruction in
AcehAceh and reported that US$7.7
billion had been earmarked for the reconstruction whilst at June 2007
US$5.8 billion had been allocated to specific reconstruction projects,
of which US$3.4 billion had actually been spent (58%).
In 2009, the government opened a US$5.6 million museum to commemorate
the tsunami with photographs, stories, and a simulation of the
earthquake that triggered the tsunami.[38]
Peace agreement and first local elections[edit]

The 2004 tsunami helped trigger a peace agreement between the GAM and
the Indonesian government. The mood in post-
SuhartoSuhartoIndonesiaIndonesia in the
liberal-democratic reform period, as well as changes in the Indonesian
military, helped create an environment more favorable to peace talks.
The roles of newly elected president
Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono and vice
president
Jusuf KallaJusuf Kalla were highly significant.[39] At the same time,
the GAM leadership was undergoing changes, and the Indonesian military
had inflicted so much damage on the rebel movement that it had little
choice but to negotiate with the central government.[40] The peace
talks were first initiated Juha Christensen, a Finnish peace activist,
and then formally facilitated by a Finland-based NGO, the Crisis
Management Initiative led by former Finnish President Martti
Ahtisaari. The resulting peace agreement, generally known as the
Helsinki MOU, was signed on 15 August 2005. Under the agreement Aceh
would receive special autonomy and government troops would be
withdrawn from the province in exchange for GAM's disarmament. As part
of the agreement, the
European UnionEuropean Union dispatched 300 monitors. Their
mission expired on 15 December 2006, following local elections.
AcehAceh has been granted broader autonomy through
AcehAceh Government
Legislation covering special rights agreed upon in 2002 as well as the
right of the Acehnese to establish local political parties to
represent their interests.[41] Human rights advocates protested that
previous human rights violations in the province needed to be
addressed, however.[42]
During elections for the provincial governor held in December 2006,
the former GAM and national parties participated. The election was won
by Irwandi Yusuf, whose base of support consisted largely of ex-GAM
members.
Ecology and biodiversity[edit]
AcehAceh has the largest range of biodiversity in the Asian Pacific
region.[43] Among the rarer large mammals are the Sumatran rhinoceros,
Sumatran tiger,
OrangutanOrangutan and Sumatran elephant.[43] In 2014, there
were 460 Sumatran elephants in
AcehAceh including at least eight baby
elephants.[44] The area has been suffering from deforestation since
the 1970s.[45] The first wood pulp mill in
AcehAceh was built in 1982.[46]
The government of
AcehAceh intends a law by which 1.2 million hectares
would be opened for commercial use.[47] This proposal has caused many
protests.[47]
Government[edit]
Within the country,
AcehAceh is governed not as a province but as a
special territory (daerah istimewa), an administrative designation
intended to give the area increased autonomy from the central
government in Jakarta.
Regional elections have been held in
AcehAceh in recent years for senior
positions at the provincial, regency (kabupaten) and district
(kecamatan) levels. In the 2006 elections,
Irwandi YusufIrwandi Yusuf was elected
as the provincial governor for 2007–2012 and in elections in April
2012,
Zaini Abdullah was elected as governor for 2012–2017.
Law[edit]
Main article: Islamic criminal law in Aceh

Use of sharia in Southeast Asia:
Choice between sharia and secular courts, only on personal
status issues
ShariaSharia applies in personal status issues only
ShariaSharia applies in full, including criminal law

Beginning with the promulgation of Law 44/1999, Aceh's governor began
to issue limited Sharia-based regulations, for example requiring
female government employees to wear Islamic dress. These regulations
were not enforced by the provincial government, but as early as April
1999, reports emerged that groups of men in
AcehAceh were engaging in
vigilante violence in an effort to impose Sharia, for example, by
conducting "jilbab raids," subjecting women who were not wearing
Islamic headscarves to verbal abuse, cutting their hair or clothes,
and committing other acts of violence against them.[48] The frequency
of these and other attacks on individuals considered to be violating
ShariaSharia principles appeared to increase following the enactment of Law
44/1999 and the governor's
ShariaSharia regulations.[48] In 2014, a group of
scholars who call themselves Tadzkiiratul Ummah, started to paint the
pants of men and women as a call for heavier Islamic law enforcement
in the area.[49]
Upon the enactment of the
SpecialSpecial Autonomy Law in 2001, Aceh's
provincial legislature enacted a series of qanuns (local laws)
governing the implementation of Sharia. Five qanuns enacted between
2002 and 2004 contained criminal penalties for violations of Sharia:
Qanun 11/2002 on "belief, ritual, and promoting Islam," which contains
the Islamic attire requirement; Qanun 12/2003 prohibiting the
consumption and sale of alcohol; Qanun 13/2003 prohibiting gambling;
Qanun 14 /2003 prohibiting "seclusion"; and Qanun 7/2004 on the
payment of Islamic alms. With the exception of gambling, none of the
offenses are prohibited outside of Aceh.[48]
Responsibility for enforcement of the qanuns rests both with the
National Police and with a special
ShariaSharia police force unique to Aceh,
known as the
Wilayatul HisbahWilayatul Hisbah (
ShariaSharia Authority). All of the qanuns
provide for penalties including fines, imprisonment, and caning, the
latter a punishment unknown in most parts of Indonesia. Between
mid-2005 and early 2007, at least 135 people were caned in
AcehAceh for
transgressing the qanuns.[48] In April 2016, a 60-year-old non-Muslim
woman was sentenced to 30 lashes for selling alcohol drinks. The
controversy is that qanun is not allowed for non-Muslim person, and
national law should be used instead as in other parts of
Indonesia.[50]
In April 2009,
Partai AcehPartai Aceh won control of the local parliament in
Aceh's first post-war legislative elections. In September 2009, one
month before the new legislators were to take office, the outgoing
parliament unanimously endorsed two new qanuns to expand the existing
criminal
ShariaSharia framework in Aceh.

One bill, the Qanun on Criminal Procedure (Qanun Hukum Jinayat), to
create an entirely new procedural code for the enforcement of Sharia
by police, prosecutors, and courts in Aceh.[48]
The other bill, the Qanun on Criminal Law (Qanun Jinayat), reiterated
the existing criminal
ShariaSharia prohibitions, at times enhancing their
penalties, and a host of new criminal offenses, including ikhtilat
(intimacy or mixing), zina (adultery, defined as willing intercourse
by unmarried people), sexual harassment, rape, and homosexual
conduct.[51] The law authorized punishments including up to 60 lashes
for "intimacy," up to 100 lashes for engaging in homosexual conduct,
up to 100 lashes for adultery by unmarried persons, and death by
stoning for adultery by a married person.[48]

Caning
In practice since the introduction of the new laws, there has been a
considerable increase in the use of the penalties provided set out in
the laws. As an example, in August 2015 six men in Bireun regency were
arrested and caned for betting on the names of passing buses.[52] And
it was reported that on just one day, 18 September 2015, a total of 34
people were caned in
Banda AcehBanda Aceh and in the nearby regency of Aceh
Besar.[53]
Two gay men are to be publicly lashed 85 times each under sharia law
after being filmed by vigilantes in Indonesia. An Islamic court in the
province of
AcehAceh passed down its first sentence for homosexuality on
the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, 17 May 2017
in spite of international appeals to spare the couple.[54]
Administrative divisions[edit]

Regencies of Aceh

Administratively, the province is subdivided into eighteen regencies
(kabupaten) and five autonomous cities (kota). The capital and the
largest city is Banda Aceh, located on the coast near the northern tip
of Sumatra. Some local areas are pushing to create new autonomous
areas, usually with the stated goal of enhancing local control over
politics and development.
The cities and regencies (subdivided into the districts of Aceh), are
listed below with their populations at the 2010 Census[55] and
according to the latest estimates for January 2014.[1]

Economy[edit]
In 2006, the economy of
AcehAceh grew by 7.7% after having minimal growth
since the devastating tsunami.[57] This growth was primarily driven by
the reconstruction effort with massive growth in the
building/construction sector.
The ending of the conflict, and the reconstruction program resulted in
the structure of the economy changing significantly since 2003.
Service sectors played a more dominant role whilst the share of the
oil and gas sectors continued to decline.

After peaking at around 40% in December 2005, largely as a result of
the
Dutch disease impact of sudden aid flows into the province,
inflation declined steadily and was 8.5% in June 2007, close to the
national level in
IndonesiaIndonesia of 5.7%. Persistent inflation means that
Aceh's consumer price index (CPI) remains the highest in Indonesia. As
a result, Aceh's cost competitiveness has declined as reflected in
both inflation and wage data. Although inflation has slowed down, CPI
has registered steady increases since the tsunami. Using 2002 as a
base, Aceh's CPI increased to 185.6 (June 2007) while the national CPI
increased to 148.2. There have been relatively large nominal wage
increases in particular sectors, such as construction where, on
average, workers' nominal wages have risen to almost Rp.60,000 per
day, from Rp.29,000 pre-tsunami. This is also reflected in Aceh's
minimum regional wage (UMR, or Upah Minimum Regional), which increased
by 55% from Rp.550,000 pre-tsunami to Rp.850,000 in 2007, compared
with an increase of 42% in neighboring North Sumatra, from Rp.537,000
to Rp.761,000.
PovertyPoverty levels increased slightly in
AcehAceh in 2005 after the tsunami,
but by less than expected.[58] The poverty level then fell in 2006 to
below the pre-tsunami level, suggesting that the rise in
tsunami-related poverty was short lived and reconstruction activities
and the end of the conflict most probably facilitated this decline.
However, poverty in
AcehAceh remains significantly higher than in the rest
of Indonesia.[59] A large number of the Acehnese remain vulnerable to
poverty, reinforcing the need for further sustained efforts at
development in the post-tsunami construction period.[60]
Demographics[edit]

The population of
AcehAceh was not adequately documented during the
IndonesiaIndonesia 2000 census because the insurgency complicated the process
of collecting accurate information. An estimated 170,000 people died
in
AcehAceh in the 2004 tsunami which further complicates the task of
careful demographic analysis. According to the most recent (2010)
census, the total population of
AcehAceh in 2010 was 4,486,570.[61]
Ethnic and cultural groups[edit]
AcehAceh is a diverse region occupied by several ethnic and language
groups. The major ethnic groups are the Acehnese (who are distributed
throughout Aceh), Gayo (in central and eastern part), Alas (in
Southeast
AcehAceh Regency), Tamiang-Malays (in
AcehAceh Tamiang Regency),
Aneuk Jamee (descendant from Minangkabau, concentrated in southern and
southwestern), Kluet (in South
AcehAceh Regency), and Simeulue (on
Simeulue peopleSimeulue people Island). There is also a significant population of
Chinese, Among the present day Acehnese can be found some individuals
of Arab, Turkish, and Indian descent.
The
Acehnese languageAcehnese language is widely spoken within the Acehnese population.
This is a member of the Aceh-Chamic group of languages, whose other
representatives are mostly found in Vietnam and Cambodia, and is also
closely related to the Malay group of languages. Acehnese also has
many words borrowed from Malay and
ArabicArabic and traditionally was
written using
ArabicArabic script. Acehnese is also used as local language
in Langkat and Asahan (North Sumatra), and Kedah (Malaysia), and once
dominated Penang. Alas and Kluet are closely related languages within
the
BatakBatak group. The Jamee language originated from Minangkabau
language in West Sumatra, with just a few variations and differences.
Religion[edit]

According to 2010 census of the Central Statistics Agency, Muslims
dominate
AcehAceh with more than 98% or 4,413,200 followers and only
50,300 Protestants and 3,310 Catholics.[63] Religious issues are often
sensitive in Aceh. There is very strong support for
IslamIslam across the
province, and sometimes other religious groups – such as Christians
or Buddhists – feel that they are subject to social or community
pressure to limit their activities. The official explanation for this
action, supported by both the
Governor of AcehZaini Abdullah and the
Indonesian Home Affairs Minister
Gamawan FauziGamawan Fauzi from Jakarta, was that
the churches did not have the appropriate permits. Earlier in April
2012, a number of churches in the Singkil regency in southern
AcehAceh had
also been ordered to close.[64] In response, some Christians voiced
concern about these actions. In 2015 a church was burned down and
another attacked in which a Muslim rioter was shot, causing president
Joko WidodoJoko Widodo to call for calm.[65]
Human rights violations[edit]
Caning, a primitive and discriminatory way of punishment, has
increasingly been used as a form of judicial punishment in Aceh. This
is backed by the governor of Aceh, who has committed numerous human
rights violations as well. At least 72 people were caned for various
offences, including drinking alcohol, being alone with someone of the
opposite sex who was not a marriage partner or relative (khalwat), and
gambling. People who 'come out' as gay are also caned and punished by
the government. The Acehnese authorities passed a series of by-laws
governing the implementation of
ShariaSharia after the enactment of the
province’s
SpecialSpecial Autonomy Law in 2001, which
AcehAceh has been using
to promote anti-LGBT policies which have been declared by the United
Nations as unjustifiable, barbaric, and a violation of human rights.
In 2016 alone, 339 public caning cases were documented by human rights
organizations, the highest number in Asia since the 19th
century.[citation needed]
In January 2018, the
AcehAceh police, with support from the Aceh
autonomous government, raided hair salons known to have LGBT clients
and staff as part of an operasi penyakit masyarakat ("community
sickness operation"). The police abused all LGBT citizens within the
premises of the parlors and arrested twelve transgender women. The
arrested trans women were stripped topless, had their heads shaved,
and were forced to chant insults at themselves as part of a process
"until they really become men". The intent of the incident was to
reverse what officials deemed a "social disease" and that parents were
coming to them upset at the increasing number of LGBT individuals in
Aceh.[66][67] The event was decried by human rights organizations
local and worldwide, such as Amnesty International. Usman Hamid stated
for the
IndonesiaIndonesia branch of the organization that "cutting the hair of
those arrested to ‘make them masculine’ and forcing them to dress
like men are forms of public shaming and amount to cruel, inhuman and
degrading treatment, in contravention of Indonesia’s international
obligations.”[68]
In February 2018, the Indonesian government planned to pass
legislation that would criminalize gay sex. The legislation is
supported by all of the ten political parties of the country, and is
expected to pass before Valentine's Day. The government of
AcehAceh was
one of the initiators of the proposed law.
IndonesiaIndonesia has been branded
as the most homophobic country in core Asia, along with Malaysia,
while
AcehAceh has been branded as the most homophobic territory per
square kilometer in all of Asia, becoming the center of inhumane and
discriminatory policies in the entire Asian diaspora.[69]
See also[edit]